RBA Builders CEO Robert Anderson says the company’s north star is investing in its team, and employees who responded to the Top Workplaces survey gave it high praise for that very reason.
“RBA offers training and a career path that suits my desires,” one employee wrote in the anonymous 2023 Top Workplaces survey. “They are willing to invest in me and everyone at RBA. The benefit package as a whole is equal to or greater than larger companies in our same industry. People matter and they invest in people.”
The Fountain Valley company is a general contractor that focuses on commercial work, including the industrial, entertainment, educational, aerospace and medical fields.
Anderson created the company in February 2007, armed with a folding chair and table, after working for other general contractors.
“I gave notice on a Thursday, and by Monday I was incorporated, had my license, had an office and was doing business,” Anderson said. “It was literally that fast.”
Anderson said the company has extensive training in benefits. RBA Builders recently hired a leadership/management coach who spoke to every person individually in the company to understand their needs across generations.
“He’s helping us close that generational gap,” Anderson said. “He’s helping us as managers understand what those needs are.”
We spoke with Anderson about the company’s culture, and broadly how he viewed how the economy is looking for the construction industry headed into 2024 as it navigates challenges like high interest rates.
Q: Can you explain what it means for the company to value “Do The Right Thing Even When It Is Inconvenient?” How does that play into everyone’s day-to-day work?
Let me give you an example. When a subcontractor is struggling on a job, the owner is mad at the subcontractor. (The owner) wants us to kick them off. What we do is we try to keep the team cohesive. We’ll try to fix the problem and keep this subcontractor on…
Read the full article here